White Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

I made these cookies this past summer and I can't believe they haven't made it onto the blog until now!  I was in the mood to bake something new, so I starting flipping through some of my cookbooks.  This recipe looked interesting, and I had never made anything like it.  Definitely do not substitute for the dark brown sugar, as it is essential to the rich butterscotch flavor in these cookies.  I took these babies to work and they were beyond popular.  I had more than one person tell me that these were probably the best cookies they had ever tasted.  I highly recommend these, especially if you are looking to step outside the chocolate chip cookie box.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES
Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

YIELD - 2 DOZEN COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup shortening, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounces best-quality white chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg and the vanilla until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two batches, beating just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate.

4. Drop 2 tablespoons of dough at a time about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Bake until lightly golden brown around the edges, about 10-12 minutes.  Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.